Iter Itineris of Fortuna
by pizza blade
Summary: As dreams conjoin and lives intermingle, the maelstrom of destinies will arise from the struggles of the chosen legends. This is the story about the ones favored by the Gods to decide the World's fate inside the passage of time... LinkxZelda.
1. Prologue

-Just to go on with the times: I am now using **Sidewiki** to impart some of my thoughts about the chapters of this story starting with this one. It is just experimentation. Have you guys known about Sidewiki yet? It's a new feature in Google Toolbar that lets you share your thoughts about any particular web pages. Go and install it, and read my entries on this page—tell me what you guys think about it.

-This is a new story with a new plot, and I reckon it will be much easier to read all around compared to my previous story, Fickleness of Fate. However, just like that story, this one will also feature no connection whatsoever to any of the Zelda games already or will available out there in terms of plot. Basically, I am just borrowing Zelda themes and characters in telling my own, original tale. Oh, and, this is still **Link X Zelda**, since I am a great sucker for Princess-Hero cliché. Also, this first one does not contain a lot of exposition and story since, well, it is a prologue after all. I promise that the next chapters will be more... meaty :)

-I am not native in English and never formally studied the language in any way, shape, or form, so do not expect a display of perfect grammar or Shakespearean vocabulary in here. Reviews or any kind of feedback would be appreciated.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

**

* * *

**

A fan-fiction based on the popular video-game series _Legend of Zelda_

**Legend of Zelda: ****Iter Itineris of Fortuna**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

**--o0 PROLOGUE 0o--**

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"What fates impose, that men must needs abide; it boots not to resist both wind and tide."

~William Shakespeare~

* * *

**Prologue**

The Hyrule Market that was usually filled with people during the time the Sun still reigned supreme in the sky looked so solemn right now when night has arrived. So quiet, almost serene, with no one in sight. All of the shops were closed, and the only thing moving past the streets were the winds blowing ever so quietly into the darkness of the night plus the occasional stray animals that whimpered as they were walking through the dust, ignoring the world around them as the world ignored them.

The moon's light swept through the land gently, softly caressing the corners of houses, roofs, streets, and pavements, basking the world below with a tender radiance that exuded a rather sublime beauty. The lights coming from flickering lanterns hung on the rooftops of houses and now-empty shopping stands strewn about on the streets looked like a collection of fireflies, illuminating the surroundings with a simple yet somewhat poignant atmosphere.

…

Then, suddenly it happened.

First, it was nothing but a small drop… and then, another—another, and another. It took only around a minute before a single drop turned into a mighty rain as the black clouds on the heavens poured all of their tears onto the earth down below. The winds that were so gentle before turned into something that moved through the land with careless abandon, streaking across with relentless pace and raging front that created a rather fearsome display of power. The lanterns that were hung on the stands and on the windows of houses shook violently—some got their lights dosed off and some even met their early demise as they fell onto the ground because they couldn't stand the pressure from the raging force of the winds. Thunders snapping one after another from the clouds high up there, making an orchestra of incredible fierceness that could shook even the hearts of the mightiest warriors. What was the view of a serene, quiet atmosphere of a night-time inside Hyrule Market before has now turned into the stage where Mother Nature showing her mightiness at its finest.

The empty shopping stands that stood outside could do nothing but to sit idle helplessly accepting the brutal attacks of the weather—it was a guarantee that the owners of those stands would shake their heads in disgust when the next morning comes.

…

And yet, even amongst all those conditions, there was a single woman walking on the street slowly, her steps looked so heavy as if she was chained with all the burdens of the world. She wore a long robe with a cape on the head that covered her entire body from top to bottom—her face couldn't clearly be seen because she walked with her head tilted down. She seemed to be carrying something inside her robe, and whatever it was it was clear that she thought of it as something incredibly important, because all of her movements were seemingly coordinated to ensure the its safety.

She kept on walking forward, ignoring the fact that practically there's no spot left on her that was left not incredibly soaked by the unyielding pour of the heavy rain. Not once did she lift her face up to see what's ahead of her—she continued to walk with her face down, her cape covering almost the entire upper portion of her head, as if she wanted to hide her face from the rest of the world.

She kept on walking, and walking. As far as the eyes could see, all of the doors and windows of the houses on Hyrule Market were closed tight, and the lights turned off, signifying the fact that the citizens of Hyrule seemed to prefer sleeping their way through this horrible weather condition in the night. The only living creatures watching her walking on the streets were the stray animals hiding under the empty shopping stands to protect themselves from the rain. Not that it did them much good, but even they seemed confused as to why there's actually someone willing to brave the fierceness of the conditions around without so much of a protection like the woman right there.

The harshness of the situation did not seem to faze the woman. She just kept on moving, walking through the streets of Hyrule Market with her head looking down all the way. Despite her staggering steps, however, she navigated the streets quite fluidly. It seemed like even with her not looking on the road in front of her, she already knew instinctively which way to take, which way to move. Her movements at first might suggest that she did not have a distinct destination in mind—that she's just moving where her legs took her. But apparently that was not the case—her movements, albeit slow, were precise and smooth; not once she seemed to hesitate about which way to take or stopped to consider the next direction. It looked like her body instinctively knew the correct path to traverse in order to reach wherever destination she had in mind.

…

It took a couple of minutes of more walking before she finally stopped. She stopped in front of a solitary house that was located in the back alleys of the Market. Although the house was built from solid bricks, it looked shabby nevertheless. There was some rubbish placed near the front door that was just left there unattended, and they created a somewhat pungent smell that was certainly unpleasant for the nose. The walls were damaged in some spots, and the paints were torn off on many places—the heavy rain right now also did not help matters. Whoever lived there clearly did not have a penchant for hygiene or aesthetics.

For the first time, the woman lifted up her face to look at the house in front of her.

Hers was a face of beauty, a beauty that could still clearly be seen even when tampered by the assaults of the elements. It was the kind of beauty that did not dazzle but rather enchant—the kind of beauty that could enrapture anyone as if they were trapped inside a magic spell that would not allow their eyes to break off from her. Her eyes were cerulean blue, and they contained a subtle display of calmness and clearness—the eyes of a person that have seen and experienced many things, eyes of a person that have felt and passed through the most turbulent of what life has to offer.

She muttered something inaudible, and suddenly there's a gentle glow coming from inside her robe. She took out the thing that she's been carrying all this time carefully and gently with both her hands.

It was an amazing sight. The thing that she's holding—which turned out to be a small baby sleeping peacefully and wrapped inside layers of soft fabric—was fully enveloped with a gentle glow that could seem to, inexplicably, repelled all of the waters from the rain coming from the heavens up above. Each time a single drop of rain was about to touch the baby, the gentle glow amazingly fended it off forced it to change its direction. Thus, even under such heavy rain the baby still remained dry. And not just the rain too—the gentle glow seemed able to repel also the winds or anything that may disturb the baby it protected. It was a magical protection that did not have any loudness in it, but the fact that the baby could still sleep soundly regardless of the heavy rain and winds all around was testament to its impressive effectiveness.

…

The woman gazed quietly at the baby she was holding. Her gaze was a combination of fondness and sadness, and her face was filled with an expression of someone not wanting to commit something yet realizes that it must be done regardless of the cost.

She took a step closer to the closed door of the house she's standing in front of, and gently put down the baby right next to the door. She stood back up and gave a look towards the baby—her eyes looked both solemn and serene, both contemplating and determined.

She took a few steps back, and it was in those small steps signs of hesitation first appeared in the way she conducted herself. She hesitated in furthering the distance apart between her and the baby… Nevertheless, she had the look on her face showing that she knew that it was all no longer could be prevented from happening.

The woman then took one final look towards the sleeping baby.

She muttered something inaudible once more.

And then…

…

Just as a gigantic bolt of lightning appeared on the sky, the woman suddenly disappeared from sight. She didn't walk or run away, she didn't turn her back and went off, she didn't move farther away from the house. She's just completely disappeared out of sight like she was swallowed by the darkness of the night itself.

And as if on cue, the rain bizarrely decreased in intensity as soon as the woman was gone. Just as it suddenly appeared rain and thunders before, so did the same rain and thunders disappear like someone flipped a miracle switch and turned the weather off. The black clouds on the sky were moving away from one another, and the heavy rain was gone along with them, leaving only the broken lanterns and the wet streets and houses as proof that they're here no matter how short it was. The winds that were so strong just before has softened considerably, and now it was nothing more than a gentle blow that could do nothing but to sneak pass through the streets calmly and quickly.

The heavy rain was short and quick, although very intense.

The moonlight that broke through the clouds above once again swept the land and glaze through Hyrule with its quietness. As the light touched the baby that the mysterious woman left behind in front of the shabby house, a soft light could be seen emanating from the baby's right hand, illuminating a faint-looking symbol seemingly carved on the back on the baby's right palm.

The gentle glow that protected the baby from the elements before suddenly disappeared, and as the cold air left behind by the rain before managed to find its way to the baby's now unprotected body, the baby's peaceful sleep was forcefully halted.

As the cries of the infant roared through the stillness of the night, the machination of fate began to turn, carrying with it the beginning of something that would later envelop all parts of Hyrule into one big maelstrom of fated events, a maelstrom which would determine Hyrule's future inside the passage of time……

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	2. Chapter 1

-A friendly reminder: I am using **Sidewiki**, a Google Toolbar function, to post some blog-like comments directly for this particular web page as well as the previous page that housed the first chapter. I will continue to do it for my future chapters as well, pouring my own personal thoughts about the story… chapter per chapter. If you want to see it, just install the function—it's pretty easy and quite useful :)

-Thank you for **Eclipse Storywriter** and **uzukun7** for their reviews. As for uzukun7: in regards to the Into the Future, the reason why I haven't touched it for so long was because I have had a huge writer's block after writing the last chapter. And by huge I mean _gigantic_. Believe me, I've been trying to write the next chapter for a while right now but alas, the lady luck never gave her blessings to me. I can say one thing, though: it is not my intention to completely abandon the story, and I promise as soon as I can overcome that block I will immediately post an update for that story. I really, really apologize about this.

-Reviews and feedback for this chapter would be most appreciated.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

**

* * *

**

A fan-fiction based on the popular video-game series _Legend of Zelda_

**Legend of Zelda: ****Iter Itineris of Fortuna**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

**--o0 Chapter one 0o--**

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**

"History is the record of an encounter between character and circumstances."

~Donald Creighton~

* * *

**Chapter one**

The tall, slightly bearded young man walked through the streets of City of Hyrule relaxingly. One good look at him and it was obvious that he has an air of nobility within him. The way he walked and moved have certain flair on them, and that could be the reason why there were many people willing to stop their activities for a while to just stare at him as he passed through them.

That, or probably because there's a rather large symbol of what appeared to be a silhouette of a hawk sewn with gold embroidery right on the front side of the clothing he wore. It was certainly a rather effective attention-grabber, although the young man himself did not appear to realize—or maybe he just did not care—that he was being looked at by practically every person he sees on the street.

The golden hawk symbol was not the only thing signifying the importance of this young man. Tied on the belt he wore on his wrist was a beautifully made scabbard, housing a sword that has small jewelries attached to its hilt, making it a rather sight to behold when it reflected the light coming from the Sun. The scabbard itself was filled with intricately designed motif—the kind that would take the keenest of eyes and the most persevering of patience to finish. There's no mistaking it: this young man was a Noble of quite an importance.

…

He kept on walking—he occasionally looked towards the clear, blue sky and then smiled for whatever reason. He also always answered politely every time someone greeted him, although most of the time his responses were more akin to an obligation to respond instead of genuine interest to chat—it was pretty obvious that he was more interested in spending his time just by himself instead of having to share it with someone else. His face was the happiest when he could just stroll along the streets with no one bothering him.

However, when he was about to take a left on the next junction of the street, his day was about to be bothered by a rather persistent intrusion.

"Milord!"

A scream echoed from behind. The young man stopped his walk, stood still for a while, and the next second, sighed.

He didn't bother to turn around as he heard hurried footsteps approaching him from behind. Sure enough, the next few seconds someone with an eager looking face showed up in front of him. It was a man probably around 20 years of age—he was a bit taller than the young Noble, and was more well-built all-around. However, if there's one word that could describe him perfectly, it would be, without a doubt: 'neat.' The way he dressed was impeccably… impeccable. From the top of his hair to the bottom of his shoes, all that he wore, all his styles, all of them were perfectly arranged to create one unified harmony.

He carried something that was folded on his right hand—something like a long cape. The young Noble did not know what the intention was for it and he's not in the mood for asking.

"Milord!" that person said again—the way he said it made it almost as if he was screaming, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm just going to the Hyrule Market to find me some things, Lucian," the young Noble replied calmly, "And stop yelling 'Milord Milord' all the time. It's bothersome."

Lucian put his hands on his waist.

"Well, you can't just go there all by yourself," he said, "You're a Greycloud, Milord, and a Greycloud shouldn't walk around the streets all by himself without proper protection. Only the Goddesses can calm the wrath of Lord Greycloud if he finds out his son has been strolling around the neighborhood without so much of a bodyguard!"

"So, don't let my father finds out about it," the young Noble shrugged, "Problem solved."

"But you're a _Greycloud_!" he emphasized the last part as if it was the most important thing in the whole world, "Even the sight of you just walking around the streets all by yourself will surely cause a stir amongst the common folks!" Lucian huffed, "Sooner or later the news of you playing around all by yourselves in the town _will_ reach your father's ears, and by the Goddesses there is going to be a lot of heads rolling off the yard when he's finished with us!"

"One of those heads," the young Noble smiled playfully, "I assume it's going to be yours."

"Well yes of course, seeing that I am your private servant and all that!" Lucian fussed, "I cannot believe Sir Heylon as the Head Bodyguard of the Greycloud Family actually allowed you to go out here unsupervised! What _was_ he thinking?"

"Sir Heylon knows more than anyone that I can take care of myself, if need be," the young Noble patted the exquisite scabbard on his waist, "I maybe _just _the son of a merchant, but I know many ways to fend myself from mere common thieves and criminals. Anyways, when I explained my reasons to Sir Heylon, he just laughed, patted me in the head, and said, 'Go ahead' without even batting an eyelash. So I do not know why you are so upset over this."

"What _is_ your reason?" Lucian said, "What _is_ the reason important enough for you to go all the way to Hyrule Market all by yourself?"

"You know that I am scheduled to meet her soon, don't you?" the young Noble raised an eyebrow, "That I am scheduled to meet with…" he seemed a bit flustered, "…You _know_…"

"Who? The _Princess_?" Lucian said straightforwardly, "You mean Lady Zelda?"

"…Yeah, _her_," the young Noble looked annoyed that Lucian did not seem to notice him flustering, "It's nothing more than just a formal introduction, but still, I want to offer her a present to commemorate the event. Oh…, the best kind of present, of course. And _before_ you can tell me there's already a load of things I can choose back in the mansion," he raised his hand to stop Lucian before he could say anything, "I **want** to choose the present _myself_… with _my_ own effort… by _my_ own hands. Understand? That's why I want to go to the Hyrule Market—to find something appropriate for her."

Lucian scratched his hair, though he was quick to make it tidy all over again.

"If that's the case, Milord," he said, "Can you please at least wait for a while so that I can summon some guards to accompany you there?"

"Not a chance," the young Noble shook his head, "I cannot _bloody_ concentrate if I am surrounded by a lot of scary-looking men trying to murder anyone getting close to me—and I don't think the folks at the Market would appreciate them either," he stroke his beard gently, "Besides, who _wants_ to be surrounded by bodyguards anyway when trying to choose a present for a fair lady? Surely you jest, Lucian!"

Lucian sighed.

He should have known better trying to change this particular young Noble's mind.

"Oh fine," he said, "But at the very least you should hide your identity a bit better, Milord. I mean, really—a nice big Greycloud symbol on your cloth and that scabbard… you are painting a large 'target me' symbol on yourself. Here, I carried this for you, just in case you are too stubborn to be persuaded to cancel your plans…" he sighed, "Like it or not, you're a Noble, Milord—and not just an ordinary one, a _Greycloud_, even! At the very least you should try not to be too obvious about it—there's a lot of folks out there even in this fine city that would try to take advantage of that in ways that none of us would like to imagine."

He offered the folded long cape to the young Noble.

"At least wear this, Milord," Lucian said.

The young Noble looked towards the long cape for a moment, before shaking his head—much to the Lucian's chagrin.

"No, thank you," he said conclusively, "Hyrule is not a place where a Noble must hide his identity every time he's about to blend in with its people. This city is not a place where asad segregation between the commoners and the Nobles exists. At least, that's what I believe. And I'm going to prove it to you."

"_But_ Milord…" Lucian persisted, "You are not being realistic, here… Commoners aren't just the only thing that you should be worried about! This is just for additional precaution… And believe me, you _will_ want people not recognizing you when you're in the Market later…"

"When I said no, _I mean it_," the young Noble once again raised his hand, ending the discussion, "…Just go back to the Mansion, Lucian. I will be back before the moon claims the sky, and by then you will see that all of your worries and fears are nothing more than just baseless conjectures."

He kept his hand raised as if to make a point to Lucian as he walked passed him. The servant could do nothing but to stare helplessly towards the hard-headed Noble as he resumed his walk towards the Hyrule Market.

When the young Noble has gone out of sight, Lucian shook his head in disbelief.

"What a stubborn and naïve fool…" he muttered with an annoyed look on his face, "…Can't believe that man is possibly one of the main candidates for the future King of Hyrule…"

* * *

The city of Hyrule was the center-point of Hyrule Kingdom, and as such it was one of the largest and most developed cities in the whole world. In fact, it was so large that it was divided into several different zones: South, North, East, and West, while at the center of the City that also served as some sort of a hub that connected those different zones lied the most famed structure of all: The Grand Castle of Hyrule, the very place where the Royal Family lived and went about their daily lives.

Each zone housed different parts of the city and specialized in different cultural developments: the South zone specialized in technological advancements and served as the place where most of the brilliant minds of Hyrule lived—it was also the place where ongoing researches of Magic and everything otherworldly took place. The East zone represented the education side, and served as the place where the Kingdom placed their most prominent Universities and Schools—the nurturing ground for those who would in the future decide the course of the Kingdom. The West zone specialized in business and commerce, and served as the place that housed one of the busiest and biggest commercial trading centers in the world: Hyrule Market. Finally, the North zone specialized in the development and training of Hyrule military—all of the finest Knights of Hyrule graduated from the Knight Academy situated there.

Though the city first and foremost ruled by the King of Hyrule, the people known as the Nobles also held powerful grip on how the city was run. There were numerous Noble families in Hyrule, each with their own influence and power—however, in each zone of the city, there's an extremely powerful Noble family with both influence and power so far beyond any other Noble families in the Kingdom they're not even in the same league anymore.

On the South there's the Rosenchild Family, a Noble family where most of its members were famous scientists, researchers, and/or magicians. The Rosenchild's crest was a beautiful Red Rose with a magic cane hovering in front of it. To the East there's the Parsellian Family—it was said that there were none of Hyrule's famous Kings, Generals, or any other legends that had never been taught by a Parsellian during their early lives. Rumor has it that the Parsellian was quite influential to the Royal Family as well, with the King often sought their advice for matters of the Kingdom. Their crest was a large tome with a distinct symbol of Hyrule Kingdom—a sacred Triangle made from three smaller triangles—painted on its cover.

To the West lied the Noble family with the crest of a golden hawk: the Greycloud Family. This family specialized in commerce and business, and said to be the owner of the most abundant riches and treasures in the Kingdom—perhaps second only to the Royal Family themselves. It was common knowledge that in order to have a successful business in Hyrule it would be _extremely_ advisable to be in this family's good grace, though the Greyclouds themselves often refuted this, calling it just a 'rumor.' Finally, the North zone has the Silverwolf Family, a Noble family drowning in legends and heroics as almost all of their family members were known to be Hyrule's greatest warriors, swordsman, or Generals. None dare to fight head-on against the Silverwolf as they're known to spare no mercy to anyone they deemed to be unworthy. The Silverwolf Family was incredibly unique in that the head of the family was a woman. The crest of the Silverwolf was a head of a wolf in front of a shining blade.

People called these four families of Nobles—Rosenchild, Parsellian, Greycloud, and Silverwolf—as "The Four Divine House of Nobles." They were named as such because they had so much power and influence on Hyrule that was way beyond any ordinary people… it was as if the Goddesses Themselves gave the families Their Divine Blessings and Providences.

Additionally, it's already a common secret—to the point where it's actually sort of absurd to call it a secret—throughout the citizens of Hyrule that these four families often involved in a competition to outwit one another in terms of gaining more power and influence. This competition sometimes could be seen with a naked eye, but more often than not they were hidden in the shadows, and rumors abound about the length a family would take in order to gain the upper hands… shadowy and questionable methods were definitely not beyond the realm of possibilities.

The competition got even fiercer now that the news about Queen of Hyrule's sudden ailing of health. Rumor has it—no one really knew who's the first responsible for spreading it, whether it's really true or not… though no one really cared in the end—that the Queen's illness was so severe that it would ask for the ultimate price: her life. Such illness would prohibit the Queen from conceiving any more children with the King, and since both of them only had one daughter in Princess Zelda—the room for a new King from outside the current Royal Family just suddenly got wide open. An opportunity to be inducted inside the circle of the Royal Family by making one of them as the husband of the Princess—the King of Hyrule itself—was of course, a once in a lifetime opportunity that anyone with their eyes set on power would not want to miss.

The Royal Family so far always denied the allegations of the Queen's failing conditions, and none of Divine House of Nobles showed any clear interest in seizing the opportunity of the Queen's conditions _if _she was indeed truly sick… Of course, people would still believe what they wanted to believe, and the lack of Queen's public appearance lately further fueled the ammo for the gossip whisperers…

* * *

The Hyrule Market truly lived out its reputation as one of the biggest and the most crowded trading center in the whole world. All corners of this place were _swarmed_ with people, leaving little to no room to breathe. The atmosphere was so intense all around, with merchants and customers trying to outfox one another in the battle to get the best deals. The amount of people flooding the streets on this place was quite simply unbelievable.

As expected, the young Greycloud's journey inside the Hyrule Market was one filled with many eyes gawking in surprise. A sight of a Noble—a Greycloud even!—strolling around inside the streets of the Market was clearly not something that happened every day. Even more, the Greycloud was actually willing to mingle in with the commoners without any bodyguard in sight.

The young Greycloud ignored all the attention as he inspected the shopping stands one by one, looking for the perfect present for the Princess. It's true that back at the Mansion he could just pick up literally _anything_ and it would be suitable enough to be presented to a member of a Royal Family, but he really wanted to do this on his own. He wanted to have _that_ satisfaction in knowing that the present _he_ chose would be liked by the Princess.

…Princess Zelda.

The mere thought of her was enough to excite the young Greycloud. Despite her status as the Princess of Hyrule, and despite the fact that practically there's no soul in Hyrule that haven't heard about her name, there's no significant information actually available in regards to the Princess herself. In fact, no one outside the Grand Castle of Hyrule actually has any idea what she really looked like. For some reason nobody knew, the King and the Queen seemed to have always kept an extremely close lid on her—they have never brought her with them during their public appearances and outside of very general information like her name or her age, they never let the public knew anything more about her.

News has it that the inhabitants of the Castle were forbidden to talk about her to _anyone_ outside the Royal Family, with very strict punishment _directly from the King_ himself waiting for those that dared to disobey. Not even the Nobles were allowed by the King to ask anything about her—and yes, that included the Four Divine House of Nobles. Why the King and the Queen sheltered their only daughter with so many extremities was anybody's guesses, but one thing's for sure: in the eyes of the people of Hyrule, Princess Zelda has become a truly fascinating and enigmatic persona—a mystery that boggled the mind yet at the same time so enticing and captivating to explore.

Stories, theories, and hypes about her were abundant amongst the citizens. How the reason she was so deeply guarded by the King was because she was just simply _too_ beautiful so that the King would fear for the sanity of any men laying their eyes on her. Or the stories of how she's actually a reincarnation of all the Three Divine Goddesses that would someday bask the world in all of her glory and bring mankind a new era of salvation. Or the 'rumor' that there's actually _no_ Princess Zelda at all—that she's merely a mask for the _real _truth that the King and the Queen actually had no real daughter and they're planning to adopt a daughter from one of the attendants of the Castle in secret. Some stories were so absurd and out of this world it was just simply unbelievable just what kind of imagination the mind could conjure if it's allowed to go untamed.

Every person has their own stories, theories, and hypes about her. The fact that she's the most famous Royal Family member amongst the citizens of Hyrule even though they have never even seen her face before was something that was quite… remarkable, to say the least.

Thus, it was such a big issue for the family members of the Four Divine House of Nobles when each of them received a letter from the Castle, directly written by the King Hyrule himself. Each letter stated the same thing: they were an invitation from the King allowing each family to send the head of the family along with his wife (or husband, in case of the Silverwolf) and just _one_ of their sons that they thought to be the most capable of all to the Castle. Said it's going to be a 'Formal Introduction of Princess Zelda.'

The letter did not say anything anymore beyond that, but the fact that the King has requested each family to bring their most capable _son_ in an event where the Princess is going to be introduced—a certain, logical conclusion could be made from this. It may be a hasty one, but considering the circumstances involved, it may be true after all.

And that's why it was such _great _news for this particular Greycloud when he realized that it was him that his family would send to the Castle. Who would want to miss the opportunity to meet face to face with the King and Queen of Hyrule, and better yet, the enigmatic Princess herself? It sent such excitement down his spine that he couldn't think straight for the next few hours after he received the news. A great desire to create good impression for her was quick to appear in his heart, and that's the reason why he was so eager on visiting the Hyrule Market today—to find something for a present to the Princess that could, hopefully, impress her. And he wouldn't be satisfied if he's not the one picking the present himself.

…

He stopped in front of a stand that apparently sold numerous fancy-looking clothing accessories. It seemed like all of them were hand-made and embedded with small shining jewelries. The glimmer that they reflected as the sunlight made a pass attracted his attention.

"Say," he said to the man guarding the stand while trying to ignore the stares of practically _everyone _around him—a good number of them even went as far as pointing their fingers towards him while whispering, "Good day, Sir. May I ask you about something?"

The merchant of the stand didn't say anything for a while—it seemed like he couldn't quite believe what he's seeing right now. There's no one in Hyrule that couldn't recognize the symbol that was so blatantly displayed on the clothing this one customer wore: the crest of a golden hawk… the proud symbol of the Greycloud family. It's a serious offense for someone to attach a symbol of a Noble Family to himself if that someone has no business in doing so, and the offense would be considered a hundred times worse if that Noble family turned out to be one of the Four Divine House of Nobles…

For this customer to wear such a huge symbol so blatantly like that…

…

"…Y…yes, yes, y…yes?" the merchant replied nervously—he's like a person who got thrown into a situation where one false move meant good-bye to the world.

"Can you help me for a bit?" the young Greycloud said politely, "I am… unfortunately, not very well-versed in the arts of… impressing… the opposite sexes. Supposedly if I buy this one…" he pointed to one accessory that glimmers the most, "Will it be enough to make whoever presented with it happy?"

"Uh…" it was clear that such way of talking did not follow the typical mechanics of conversation between the usual patrons of Hyrule Market, "…Maybe? I know my wife is happy if I give her something like this… uh, Sir," the merchant said sheepishly.

"Hmm," the young Greycloud muttered—he did not seem to hear the merchant's answer very seriously, "…How much?"

"Beg your pardon?" the merchant looked confused.

"How much should I pay for this object?" the young Greycloud said, "What is the price?"

"Uhh…" the merchant looked around—his did not look very comfortable with so many people currently looking at him and his customer, "It's… uh, 200 Rupee… but you know what, Sir, why don't you just take it?"

"Huh?" the young Greycloud raised his eyebrow.

"Y…yes, you see… uhh…" the merchant scratched his head, "I have a policy of always giving any first customer a free purchase. Umm… it makes them coming back, you know? Makes a good promotion, r…right? Good policy. Since you are buying at my place for the first time… well, just take it for free, Sir…"

The young Greycloud frowned a little.

He could see why the merchant gave the item for free, and he didn't like it. Regardless,

"…Thanks, then," he said as he tucked the glimmering accessory into his pocket, while making a mental note of _not_ making it as the present for the Princess. It felt like something that one of his servants gave him, and it did not make him satisfied.

He decided to walk around some more, to find something that he thought the Princess would like.

…

And every time he spotted something interesting, the people that was selling the items always seemed so dazed in front of him and in the end always gave the items for free. He was so annoyed by this that he refused to accept most of them. And not just that—perhaps it was because the relatively rowdy atmosphere, the uncomfortable conditions caused by the presence of so many people, and the hot, shining light from the Sun… the young Noble found that he started to get irritated by the way people always looked towards him like he's some sort of magical creature that they had never seen before. He couldn't find anything that was quite worthwhile to be given to the Princess later too, and that annoyed him further.

He began to regret his decision to refuse the long cape Lucian offered to him earlier. Sure it'd make him sweat more in the middle of situation like this, but the payoff of people wouldn't recognize him as a Greycloud would be more than enough.

…Was the difference between a Noble and a commoner could be _that _much that a Noble couldn't be treated as a _normal_ person in the middle of his own people…? He had never been that often visiting the world outside his own Mansion… and when he did, it's always with his parents and surrounded by bodyguards. Plus, it's always to places like other Noble's houses or places that the so called 'sophisticated' people deemed to be 'civilized' such as Museums and Art Theatres. It actually shocked him a bit that his first venture into a place where commoners mingled would result in him feeling so very much alienated from the rest of the people…

…

……

"_In any case_," he thought to himself, "_I'm already here_, _and I need to find something for the Princess tomorrow_. _And that Lucian will definitely have a field day with me if in the end I am forced to take something from the Mansion after all_…"

He wiped the sweat from his face and looked around.

The amount of people was truly staggering, and the Market itself was so vast he couldn't even begin to guess from which side he entered the place before. It worried him slightly, but he decided to just cross the bridge when the time comes and for now he should focus in finding the present first.

…The big problem was, _what_ should he look for and _where _could he find it?

…

……_Here_……

…

He observed the sky. The Sun's still there with all of its might and glory, so he figured he still have a lot of time to look around. He decided to just walk around and follow where his legs would take him—perhaps he would get lucky and the item he's searching for would find him instead…

…

…_In here…_

…_Look over here_…….

…

He patted his clothes a bit to swat off the dust. He also tightened the scabbard's grip on his waist. He looked around again once more, to decide which way he should go first.

…

_The honorable Noble_…

…_what you're looking for_… _is here_……

…

!

The young Noble stood still.

For a second, he looked a bit dazed. Then, for some reason he couldn't understand, he felt very compelled to look towards the east.

And when he moved his eyes towards the east, he caught the sight of something that he clearly didn't expect to see during his visit to the Hyrule Market—something that he could not explain or understand.

* * *

It was the sight of _someone_—a young female child, to be exact, sitting on the middle of the road. In front of her there was a piece of black cloth spread on the ground just like that, and on top of it there were some unidentified objects of various sizes—they were unidentifiable because each and every one of them was covered by a thick black cloth similar to the one used as the platform.

The female child was looking straight towards him with a smile on her face. On closer inspection, although her overall appearance was quite dirty, she's quite a beautiful young girl. Her hair was blonde—a rather rare in Hyrule—and her eyes were Cerulean blue; even from where he stood, which was a few meters away from her, the clarity of her eyes could clearly be seen by the young Greycloud.

However, what were extraordinarily strange were not her eyes or her hair, but the way the girl just sat so casually in the middle of the street with all of her things laid bare in front of her just like that. Peculiarly, none of the people around her seemed to have noticed her—not even once a person walking by spared her one look or even a glance; it was as if she's not even there in the first place or no one seemed to have thought it as odd. But that certainly wasn't logical: how _could_ possibly no one _at all _feel strange about a person—a little lady even!—sitting alone _in the middle of a street_ literally filled with ocean of people walking about?

Even stranger was the way people moved around her. Hundreds upon hundreds of people, and each time a person was about to cross her position he or she somehow for some reason just walked around her so that she and her belongings were perfectly safe from the danger of being stepped over by people. It was incredibly, incredibly strange.

…

The young lady smiled at the young Greycloud. She lifted her right hand and gestured the Noble to come closer to her.

…

…_Come here_…

…

As if he was in a trance, without even thinking, the young Greycloud walked slowly towards the girl—his eyes were staring at her in a way where apprehension and curiosity mixed together. His eyes didn't move away from her even for just a split second during the whole ordeal—he didn't even blink for once.

When the young Greycloud stood in front of her, the young girl beckoned him to tilt his body lower so that he could hear what she has to say,

"Good day, my Lord," the young girl said with a smile, "How are you, today?"

"…I'm fine, thanks," the young Greycloud said almost absent-mindedly. He had this strange feeling brewing inside his mind yet he couldn't really explain what's the reason behind it… it was as if his entire body was moving with even though his brain had just been forcefully shut down.

He looked again to his surroundings—innumerable amount of people just walked around him and the young girl without even sparing a single glance towards either of them. It definitely felt surreal…

"…Who are you?" the young Greycloud said as he turned his attention back to the young girl.

…

_What are you_?

…

"I am nothing but just a small merchant trying to get her hands on some fortune, my Lord," the girl said sweetly. She swatted off the bangs of her hair before continuing, "Say, pardon me for asking, but are you, by chance, looking for something that can be used as a present to a lady?"

"…Yes," the young Greycloud said—he wanted to ask how she could possibly know that, but for some strange reason the words got stuck at his throat, "…yes, that's correct."

"Well then, my Lord, you're in luck today!" the girl said with a happy face as she clapped her hand joyously, "This is the last of its kind, and you may thank the Goddesses that I haven't had the opportunity to sell this one out!"

She put her fingers at the tip of one of the cloth that covered one of the items that were laid in front of her. Then, she pulled the cloth gently to reveal what was hidden behind it.

It was a pair of rings.

A pair of rings seemingly made with gold with some peculiar-looking characters carved on the bodies of each of them. But the most noticeable aspects of the rings must be the gems attached to them.

The young Greycloud was a person that had lived his entire life amidst treasures and fortunes, but even he was stunned by the sheer beauty of the gems on each of the rings. The ring on the right was attached with a blue-colored gem, a gem seemingly taken from the deepest of the Earth and molded endlessly by the hands of the Gods themselves until it finally could reach true perfection. It looked brilliant, and though the size was small, its radiance was so beautiful that not even the most discerning of eyes could find any fault with it.

The other ring sported a similar looking gem. It was of the same ilk as its brethren, a gem of unsurpassed beauty seemingly taken from the realm of the Heavens itself. It was of the same size and shape, but with one distinctive difference: whilst the first one was radiant blue, this one was a gem of brilliant crimson red.

Both of them were so beautiful that the young Greycloud didn't even realize that he was holding his breath as he looked at them with his dazzled eyes.

…

"Beautiful, aren't they, my Lord?" the young girl said with a meaningful expression on her face, "Truly a perfect present for a perfect lady."

"What are they…?" the young Greycloud muttered in awe, "I've never seen anything so… beautiful like this…"

The young girl smiled.

"…Legends had it, my Lord," she said with a calm, collected voice, "That these rings once belonged to an Ancient King of a Civilization now already extinct. Nobody knew where the gems on these rings came from, though it was believed that the King had them taken from a place filled with magic so abundant and powerful, even the air and dusts there were said to be made from magic."

She tapped one of the gems with her finger.

"The rings were made by the most powerful Witches and Wizards at that time and designed to accommodate the mysterious powers contained within the gems," the girl continued, "These rings were made by that King to be used for himself and his Queen. They believed that by wearing these rings, their bodies would be affected by the magical powers flowing from the gems, making them more intelligent, healthier, more powerful, and even making them immortals."

"What…?" the young Greycloud said skeptically, "Really…?"

He found it rather hard to believe that objects that could render immortality to their users were sold just like this… inside Hyrule Market, even!

The young girl shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just a legend, my Lord," she said offhandedly, "But the most interesting story about these rings is not the one I just told you, actually…"

"Really?" the young Greyloud said—he looked a bit curious, "What's the most interesting one, then?"

"If two people are wearing these rings at the same time, each for one, then their souls are said to be connected. Because of that, the user of one ring can immediately tell if the user of the other ring is in danger. _Romantic_, isn't it?" she said giddily, "And the color of the gem reflects the situation of the holder, my Lord. Say you are wearing the red one, and you give the blue one to the person of your choice. If the person wearing the blue one is ever in danger, the ring you're wearing will mysteriously transform its color from red to blue. And if _you're _ever in danger, my Lord, then the ring that the other person wears will transform from blue to red! That's why the two of you can always take care of each other! _Incredible_, isn't it?"

The young girl looked excited, though the young Greycloud clearly less so. He really doubted the truth behind those stories, but he was indeed finding the rings very attractive. They were exquisitely beautiful, and any person of any stature would most definitely be happy if gifted with things as stunning as these. And he also liked the symbolism represented by the idea of the same pair of rings worn together by him and the Princess…

…

"…How much?" the young Greycloud finally said.

"200 Rupees apiece, and so that makes them 400," the young girl said happily, "And oh, you might also want to hear this one, my Lord. They said that the rings may, or may not magically acknowledge a person to become their owner."

"Yeah, so?" the young Greycloud didn't really hear her seriously as he took his wallet from inside his pocket—he looked a bit impatient to securing the rings into his hands, "…How do you know whether they acknowledge you or not? And what would happen if I'm not getting acknowledged by them? Will I get my money back?"

The young girl laughed.

"_Surely_ you jest, my Lord," she said with a smile, "Just wear one of the rings for a couple of seconds. If the ring acknowledges you, its magic will work and on the outer part of the ring your name will appear magically."

The young Greycloud gave 400 Rupees to the girl and the girl gave the rings to him. He put one of them—the blue one—into his pocket. He observed the red one in his fingers for a while, before finally deciding to wear it after all.

He slid his right index finger into the ring.

…

It certainly felt like the ring did not have any magical power indeed. The young Greycloud felt absolutely nothing after he put on the ring—if the ring truly did have some powers or anything like that, he expected that his body would feel at least _something_.

But he didn't feel anything at all.

"Heh," he lifted his right index finger so that it was level to his eyes—he observed the ring closely, "So much for a magica…"

He stopped.

Because on the ring something happened that he couldn't quite believe to be really happening. On the ring's outer part, letters showed up one by one, one after another. Each of the letters that appeared glowed faintly, before staying on the surface of the ring like someone actually carved them there. In the end, those letters formed a word that he would most definitely recognize.

…They formed a name.

_His_ name.

Or to be precise, his first name.

"…_In the name of the Goddesses_…" the young Greycloud thought to himself as his eyes kept glued to his name on the ring—he was so surprised by it he didn't pay any attention at all to his surroundings for a while, "…_What the_… _how come my first name appears here_…? …_is this ring really magical_?"

He lowered his hand.

"Hey," he said, addressing the girl, "What is the meaning of this? How come my first name…"

He stopped before he could finish what he wanted to say in full.

Because he knew that he wouldn't get any response anyways.

Since the young girl has gone.

…

……

"…What the…?" he mumbled to himself—confused. His face was utterly and completely perplexed.

A second ago that young girl with all of her stuff was still sitting on the ground in front of her, and now all of a sudden she just disappeared in a blink of an eye.

…But that's _not _possible… right?

-BUMP!-

"Ugh," he's jerking a bit because suddenly a person bumped him from the side.

"Hey! _Watch_ it buddy!" the man that was bumping onto him shouted ferociously, "Don't just stand there like an idiot in the middle of the street! What the hell are you doi……"

The man stopped as he gazed onto the attire of the person he just bumped into. One quick look at the large symbol on that person's chest was more than enough for him.

"U…uh," the man mumbled inaudibly with a nervous face, "…N…never mind… just forget about it…"

He hastily moved walked pass through the young Greycloud who was still standing there, motionless, with a dazed expression on his face. Thankfully, the symbol of the golden hawk on his chest was enough to make anyone walking towards him immediately steered out of the way—though it didn't prevent him from giving him questioning looks.

"…_Someone just bumped onto me and people are looking at me again_," he thought to himself as he saw it with his own eyes the people that walked pass through him were all glancing at him as if he's a creature from another world, "…_but before they didn't even seem to notice me when I was talking to that young girl_…"

…

He shook his head—for some reason, his head felt a bit dizzy.

"_In the name of the Goddesses_…" he said again inside his mind, "_What just happened_? _Who was that girl_? ……_was that all just nothing but a dream_? _An imagination_...?"

He touched his pocket. And he could feel something was there. One of the rings that he tucked inside it before, the ring with the blue gem, was still there; unmoved, unharmed, and very real.

And as he looked towards his right index finger, the ring that he put on earlier was still there as well, the red gem shone brilliantly and still looked as magnificent as before.

The young Greycloud shook his head once more.

Once again, he lifted his hand so that his right index finger was level with his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes to confirm the writing that was there on the outer surface of the ring.

…

It was still there.

Very clear.

His first name was still on the surface, with the letters still glowing faintly just like before.

His first name…

**GANONDORF**

**

* * *

  
**


	3. Chapter 2

* * *

A fan-fiction based on the popular video-game series _Legend of Zelda_

**Legend of Zelda: Iter Itineris of Fortuna**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

**--o0 Chapter two 0o—**

* * *

"Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

* * *

**Chapter two**

It was night on the City of Hyrule, and the huge gate of the Greycloud Mansion was opened from the inside. All people that were on the streets stopped their movements or whatever it was that they're in the middle on doing. Their eyes looked curious—some even excited, as if such sight was something not inside the realms of common things in their mind.

A number of able-looking men came through the gate. Most of them looked like typical servants of a Noble family, though in the mix there were some particularly fierce looking characters that clearly could not be included in the same mold as the others. The fierce looking ones spread out strategically around the gate, each of them looked ready to face even the worst of circumstances, expression on their faces were determined and prepared—the sight was as such that some of the people on the streets actually moved farther away from them, perhaps unconsciously fearing for their own safety.

Around the next few seconds an exquisite looking Coach appeared from inside the gate. Pulled by a group of mightily fine looking horses, the coach was unmistakably the star of the show here. The black curtain that was pulled from the inside of the windows of the Coach blocked anyone from the outside to look directly towards the passengers, but no one even had to guess the identity of the persons being escorted inside since it was already quite obvious. The proud crest of the golden hawk carved so magnificently on the sides of the Coach told all the stories necessary: it was the famous Noble Family of Greycloud themselves that were being escorted inside the magnificent Coach.

When the Coach has made it safely outside the gates of the Mansion and to the streets of the city, the Greycloud servants that were outside the gates began to systematically moving back inside the perimeter of the Mansion until none were left. As the gates of the Mansion were closed from the inside and the Coach has swiftly strode through the streets until it was out of sight, only then the people began to resume their activities as the small ripple on their otherwise straightforward and dull day has ended…

* * *

"Are you excited?"

Ganondorf Grecyloud was pulled outside of his deep reverie.

"…Excuse me?" he said.

The woman that was sitting next to him inside the Coach just smiled. She wasn't a particularly beautiful woman, but even then there's a certain sense of unmistakable elegance about her. The clothes she wore were seemingly designed to enhance that sense of elegance as well—glamorous, but not to an extent where common decency was violated. She was certainly just a pleasure for any eyes to witness.

Widely known as the first lady of the Greycloud Family and the wife of the venerable Lord Greycloud, the women's name was Lady Ariadne Greycloud. Calm, collected, and intelligent, many people even believed that her contribution to the success of the Greycloud Family was as big—if not even bigger—than even Lord Greycloud himself.

…

"I said," Lady Ariadne said softly, "Are you nervous?"

"W… what?" Ganondorf stuttered a bit, "…N… no, I am not. Why should I be, mother?"

The fair lady extended her hand to grab one of Ganondorf's hands.

"…Sweating," she said playfully, "I think that is hardly what people would say as 'not nervous' nowadays."

"Leave him alone, Ariadne," a voice suddenly came from the man sitting on Lady Ariadne's right, "It's only natural that he is nervous. Even I must admit that I am a bit touched by a certain sense of…… excitement. It's been a long time since I last visited the Castle, and the invitation directly from the King clearly suggested that it is a matter of great importance."

The man looked like he's on his sixties already, but the life and energy that were streaming on the expression of his face was very apparent. The aura that he exuded was quite extraordinary, indeed—one quick look towards him and it was very apparent that he's a person of no ordinary caliber. This man was Lord Reyvallion Greycloud—the chief, leader, and head of the Greycloud Family, the man many would regard without hesitation as the owner of the most cunning business sense in the entire Kingdom of Hyrule. _Everything_ that he touched turned into goldmine, and the way he could always seem to find new ways to make a mountain of Rupees was so precise and impeccable that it almost felt supernatural to some. His business skills were very legendary, and to some people aspiring to become a successful businessman, his persona was even close to that of a god.

…

"I am sure Lord Ganondorf can handle himself admirably in times of need, My Lord," the calm looking man that was sitting in front of Lord Greycloud said with an affable tone, "Perhaps it would be better to let Lord Ganondorf exhaust all of his nervousness and worry right now, so that by the time we meet with the Royal Family he feel not the need again to show his anxiousness."

The man laughed a little—the way he could do it so casually in front of the presence of both Lord Greycloud and his wife obviously suggested that he's not just an ordinary man.

"I heard that you've been busy looking for a present for the Princess, dear," Lady Ariadne still hasn't let go Ganondorf's hand, "Lucian told me how you were so flustered in choosing the right one that you spent a good four hours straight in the Treasure Room of our Mansion."

"…Yeah," Ganondorf said shortly, "But it's worth it."

Ganondorf stole a quick glance towards the man in front of his father, who winked very quickly towards him.

The man was Lord Heylon Gravensea, a veteran warrior currently employed as the leader of Greycloud Family's Security Force. One of the most famous warriors of Hyrule, stories were told about how he and Lady Valen Silverwolf, the family leader of the Silverwolf Nobles, once fought on the Hyrule Field for three days and nights consecutively without rest, a battle that ended with no clear victor. People said he's one of very few people that Lady Valen actually considered equal in terms of skill, though neither she nor he actually ever bothered to verify such assumption. Unlike Lady Valen, however, he had never been admitted as one of the Knights of Hyrule: an oddity seeing that stories about his supposed skills as a warrior were widely known throughout the Kingdom.

How Lord Greycloud managed to enlist his service under his family was a mystery, since supposedly he refused the all the other offers to work from Rosenchild, Parsellian, _and_ Silverwolf. Some speculated riches as Greycloud was indeed the wealthiest family of the four, but everyone that has a chance to get to know Lord Heylon usually agreed that he's not a man swayable by the temptations of treasures and gold. So probably no one except Lord Greycloud and Lord Heylon themselves could tell the real reason.

For the occasion, he wore a clearly well-prepared set of attire, clearly befitting the image of a respected member of a Noble family. In fact, one could easily mistake him for a typical Noble if not for the scabbard containing a rather large sword he currently put on his lap.

…

……

Apparently, both him and Lucian were able to keep the story of Ganondorf's little escapade to the Hyrule Market under wraps. Ganondorf was pretty grateful for that, because as Lucian once correctly put, 'heads will roll' because of it, and his father would never let him hear the end of it.

"What did you get for her?" Lady Ariadne looked somewhat curious.

"It's nothing too extravagant," Ganondorf answered casually, "But I am quite sure it is not something that will put a shame on me or you, or Father. So do not worry about it."

"Oh, a surprise gift then?" Lady Ariadne said playfully, "Can't remember the last time I received one like that from your father. In fact, that happened probably many, many years ago when he's still trying to convince me in marrying him."

She laughed a little, which was followed also by a small laugh from Lord Heylon. Lord Greycloud didn't say anything but he indeed looked a bit bashful, while Ganondorf himself just smiled. The only person that didn't give any sort of reaction was the person sitting quietly in front of Ganondorf. His eyes were just staring off towards the windows—which was quite strange since the windows themselves were closed by the curtains. Perhaps he's in the middle of seeing some faraway places, or memories, inside his mind that only he could know…

It was actually quite surprising that he could be so indifferent and so disinterested to his surroundings, since he's in the same carriage together with some of the most famous individuals of Hyrule Kingdom. Most people would croak from the sheer pressure alone, but he was clearly unaffected by it.

Though, it was that indifference that caught Ganondorf's attention. His parents did not pay too much attention to that person other than asking a confirmation to Lord Heylon since he was the one that brought the person along for the ride. A simple vouch from Lord Heylon was good enough for them—they did not even bother to ask him his name or even send a courtesy greeting towards him after that; it surprised Ganondorf a bit that their parents acted that way.

Today was the first time Ganondorf actually see this person. He's not proud of it, but unfortunately he didn't have the time—and the will—to actually personally acquaint himself to all the men serving under the Greycloud Family. They were just too numerous, and more often than not they were quick to disappear since they couldn't cope with the extremely high standards of a proper Greycloud servant set by his father (his father was quite notorious for firing someone for even the smallest of mistakes.) One thing was obvious, though: seeing that on his lap there's a sword scabbard with a golden hawk motif on it, it was clear that he was one of the members of Greycloud's Security Force—a person working directly under the supervision Lord Heylon. What was quite intriguing for Ganondorf was the fact that Lord Heylon actually brought this new person to the Castle with them instead of any other perhaps more experienced and more veteran member of the Security Force.

There must be something special about him…

Unfortunately, by the time Ganondorf decided that he would like to have a conversation with the new person, circumstances intervened.

"Lord Greycloud, Sir," the voice of the Coach's driver could be heard from the outside, "We're about to enter the Grand Castle of Hyrule, My Lord."

"Very well, thank you," Lord Greycloud pulled the curtain that was blocking the window on his side, while Ganondorf—after a brief nod from Lady Ariadne—pulled the one that was on the other side.

Filled with unbridled curiosity, Ganondorf opened the window on his side and tucked his head out—he was so excited that he momentarily forgot about the new person sitting in front of him.

The driver was correct—on the horizon the massive gates of the Castle could be seen, and the sight of the soaring towers of the Castle piercing the skies above was so incredible that it sent shivers down Ganondorf's spine. Despite being the only son of Lord Greycloud, he never visited the Castle before—oftentimes he gazed towards it through the windows of his room back on the Greycloud mansion, and even then he could feel its majesty and grandness. To actually see it from this close of a distance gave off an unprecedented feeling of being overwhelmed by something so otherworldly wondrous.

The Coach kept moving closer at a steady rate towards the gates of the Grand Castle.

"Greycloud family!" one of the guards standing near the gates yelled out loud, "Open the gate!"

The earth trembled as the massive gates opened from the inside—the trees outside the gates were literally shaking. The horses of the Greycloud Coach also looked a bit agitated, though the driver was skillful enough to prevent them going berserk.

It took a while before the gates were fully opened.

The same guard that was yelling before motioned the driver to enter. The wheels rattled as the Coach moved on and entered the Grand Castle's premises, with Ganondorf looking both incredibly tense _and_ excited.

…

Little did the young Greycloud know that his visit to the Grand Castle of Hyrule was one of the major catalysts required for the Great Events that are yet to come.

* * *

Grand Castle of Hyrule was the place where the honorable Royal Family lived and a place where many believed the Blessings of the Goddesses upon the land is the strongest. Legends had it that the first patch of land created by the Goddess Din during the Times of Creation was the land where the Grand Castle stood now, and thus the premises of the Castle was considered holy in the eyes of many. The Grand Castle was the biggest structure ever built in the Kingdom, spanning incredible width and height, incredibly gargantuan in size, with the top of its tallest towers could not even be seen with a naked eye from the ground below no matter how close or far a person was from it.

It was truly an incredible marvel to behold, an extraordinarily great reminder of what the most capable minds and bodies could accomplish—the finest example for Men's pinnacle of achievement. Such was the sense of grandness that some people even thought that the Castle was not built by the hands of Mortals, a statement that a growing number of people thought to be the truth since there was no actual record whatsoever chronicling its actual tales of construction.

It was obvious that the kinds of people allowed to live and breathe their daily lives there were not the type of people that could walk on the streets of the city with reckless abandon—these were selected, chosen few: the true elites of the Kingdom that surpassed even the Four Divine Houses of Nobles in terms of actual influence on deciding which path the Kingdom would take next. The cream of the crop, of course, was the Royal Family of Hyrule: King Gustavian Hyrule, Queen Daphnielle Hyrule, and the enigmatic Princess Zelda Hyrule. Besides them, the trusted ministers and advisors to the King also lived inside the Grand Castle. The most famous ones amongst them were General Impa—the leader of the Hyrule Knights and the _only_ person from outside the Silverwolf Family in the entire known history of the Kingdom to ever grace the honor of that honorable position—and Lord Ezlo, formally situated as the Minister of Knowledge and Education but more widely known as the King's closest and most trusted confidant who happened to be the King's childhood friend.

Naturally a place with such an incredible level of importance must be kept safe at all times, and the Grand Castle was certainly the most well guarded place in the Kingdom of Hyrule—if not the entire world. Only the elite of the elites from the Knights of Hyrule were stationed there, while the most brilliant Magicians of the Kingdom were gathered there and tasked to safeguard the Grand Castle from the scourge of terrible Magic. Rumors even told stories about the existence of a secret, hidden armed force that answered directly and exclusively only to the King and the Royal Family and no one else (of course, the Royal Family denied such allegations, although such denial was almost always futile in the eyes of rumor whisperers.)

The Grand Castle was at the center of which the Kingdom of Hyrule revolved around. Everything in the Kingdom of Hyrule began from there, and if ever one day the Kingdom ever faces its end, then it would also become the place where the beginning of an end begins…

* * *

The driver slid down and swiftly moved to open the left door of the Coach.

Lord Greycloud, Lady Ariadne, Lord Heylon, Ganondorf, and the new man all got down from the Coach one by one.

Right now they're in what appeared to be the Garden area of the Grand Castle. It took them quite a few while from the gates to this location, a testament to the overall sheer size of the Grand Castle's premises. The Garden itself looked very beautiful and extremely well-maintained, with the colors and sizes of the plants and flowers there all seemingly arranged and coordinated in a way that they all unified together to create a very pleasant treat for the eyes. The Garden area was pretty massive too, with multiple convenient pathways built on it to accommodate transportation or movements. It seemed this Garden area was also designed to become some sort of a drop-off zone for the guests visiting the Grand Castle.

A woman dressed in an incredibly neat and clean manner approached the Greycloud entourage.

…

"Good night, Lord Greycloud," she said in a polite manner as he bowed himself slightly in front of the group, "Welcome back to the Grand Castle."

"We're entering from the east side now?" Lord Greycloud said.

"Yes, My Lord," she nodded, "The usual entrance is currently in some repairs due to some… unfortunate event. In any case, my name is Ruan, and I am tasked to escort you and your group to the designated meeting chamber."

"Has anybody arrived?" Lady Ariadne asked.

"Yes, My Lady," Ruan bowed to her slightly as well, "Actually, you are the last one to arrive. The Rosenchild was the first to arrive, and then the Parsellian, and finally the Silverwolf before you, My Lady. Except for Lady Valen, his husband Lord Leyton, and their son, all of them carried their own bodyguards with them."

"Huh?" Ganondorf looked a bit surprised, "No bodyguard for the Silverwolf?"

"No one, not even the most ultimate of a fool, would dare trying to harm Lady Valen," Lord Heylon laughed, "She does not need any bodyguards. Just a mere mention of her name is enough to make even the greatest of warriors lose heart, Lord Ganondorf. And it's not Lord Leyton is a typical swordsman either. I'm sure they will be just fine."

"Hmph," Lord Greycloud looked somewhat annoyed, "She and that blasted husband of hers are just overly confident with themselves, as usual. Showing off… But enough talking about them," he stared at Ruan, "You are tasked to escort us, correct? So I suggest you start doing your job right now."

His ruthlessness did not seem to faze Ruan at all because she's still all smiling.

"Very well," she said eloquently, "Please follow me."

* * *

Although he had lived inside the luxury of Greycloud Mansion all his life, Ganondorf couldn't help but to feel stunned as he and his entourage followed Ruan navigating the halls and corridors of the Grand Castle. There's a certain… something… about the halls and corridors that made him in awe about them. They oozed not only luxury, but also style, charm, charisma, and even perhaps _magic_. There's just _something _different about them that attracted the eyes in ways that could not be explained logically.

The group kept on walking for quite some time through some rather complex turns and directions, before finally they arrived in front of a large, exclusive looking wooden door with carvings so intricate it seemed like it was impossible to make with human hands.

…

"Is this it?" Lord Greycloud asked Ruan.

"Yes, My Lord," she moved sideways to give space for the entourage to walk pass her, "Please, enter."

Lord Heylon walked to the front and grabbed the handles of the door.

"Please allow me, Lord Greycloud," he said as he pushed the wooden door inward.

Surprisingly, although the size was quite large, the door didn't make any noise as it was pushed. Though, of course, it didn't hold a candle to what was offered behind the door itself.

The room itself looked pretty normal aside from numerous large paintings planted on the walls. Each of the paintings depicted individuals from different eras—the previous Kings of the Kingdom, King Gustavian's very own esteemed and honored predecessors and ancestors. There's also a distinct symbol carved on the frames of each of the paintings: a triangle made of three smaller triangles, the symbol of the Kingdom of Hyrule. There were two doors in the room, one that the Greyclouds just used to enter and the other located directly at the other side of the room. There were two opened windows adorned with expensive-looking frames at the east wall of the room—from there a view of a fountain could be seen, the sound of its waters offered a subtle comfort for the soul.

However, what was so amazing about the room was not the room itself or its decoration—rather: it's the people inside it. Different from both Lord Greycloud and Lady Ariadne who could enter the room and sat on their respective chairs as easily as if this was their own house, when Ganondorf entered the Meeting Chamber, he immediately felt an incredible pressure. It was not hard to decipher the reason behind it: all the leader of the most influential and powerful Noble Families in the Kingdom were all sitting in the same room around a rather large circular table… the overall atmosphere because of their presence was just incredible. It was so tense and overwhelming, it seemed like just a simple act of standing inside the room required great effort and determination.

When the eyes of the Family leaders other than his father were cast towards him, Ganondorf could feel his heart racing and his skin tensed up. His palms were sweaty. He quickly broke off his eyes towards something else and immediately sat on the chair next to Lady Ariadne, all the while praying that the leaders of the Families would turn their attention to something else, _anything_, besides him. The feeling was so intense that he could not even lift his head from staring towards his sweaty hands—it felt incredibly heavy.

"Ganondorf," Ganondorf could hear Lady Ariadne said something next to him, "Lift your head up. You are a Greycloud, you should always lift your head up no matter what."

Perhaps it was the calm voice. Perhaps it was the soothing, comforting tone that her mother used. Perhaps it was a sudden realization that he, as the only son of the proud Greycloud Family, should act a bit more dignified. Perhaps it's the combination of all three. Regardless, Ganondorf instantaneously felt great shame for his behavior, and though it was still heavy, he finally managed to act like he should be and lifted his head up.

"Great job, Lord Ganondorf," this time Lord Heylon spoke—he and the new person were standing directly behind the chairs where the Greycloud Family sat, "Don't worry, no matter how great these people are, they are not gods. You don't have to lower yourself in front of them. _No one_ should."

Ganondorf was still a bit nervous, but what his mother and Lord Heylon just said managed to reduce the heaviness that clouded him before quite substantially. He could still feel his heart racing a bit when his eyes met with any of the leaders', but now he could resist the temptation of lowering his eyes to below again.

…

He knew about them, of course—at least the leaders of each Family.

The ones sitting on the left of the Greycloud Family were Lord Serrino Parsellian, his wife Lady Ashe Parsellian, and their eldest son, Agelfim Parsellian. Behind them two tough-looking bodyguards stood sharp, ready to protect their masters with their lives if they had to. Ganondorf did not know Lord Serrino personally, only his reputation. The most famous and knowledgeable of all intellectuals in the Kingdom, he was responsible for many of the schools and universities built on the East Side of the city, though he very rarely ever actually teaches there. A man that was not only gifted with incredible genius but also with equally incredible mind, innumerable amount of people from all corners of the Kingdom often came to him seeking advices for matters of their life. He's widely known as a person that disliked people asking for his help though, the kind of man that would prefer reading a book alone in his study room instead of socializing with others. Perhaps he was just easily bored when interacting with others since a mind that could capably interact with him on a similar level was quite rare even in the vast realm of the Kingdom.

The ones that were on Greycloud Family's left was the envoy from Rosenchild Family: Lord Marvin Rosenchild, Lady Helena Rosenchild, and one of their sons Colren Rosenchild, and just like the Parsellians, two fearsome-looking bodyguards that stood right behind their chairs. Lord Marvin was without a doubt the most accomplished magicians ever existed in the Kingdom. People said that there's no magic in this world that he has not managed to master, and in fact, there were quite numerous spells available right now with his name accredited as the sole inventor. His sense and attunement about magic was simply incredible, and for that reason the Kingdom often requested his help when dealing with Magical Creatures such as Fairies or Elves. Perhaps he's the only Hylian that could wander on both the land of Men and the land of the Magical Creatures and be known by nearly all the inhabitants of both worlds.

Finally, the ones that were sitting directly in front of the Greyclouds at the other side of the table were the famous Valen Silverwolf, his husband Lord Leyton Silverwolf, and their only son Kain Silverwolf. Quite possibly the greatest and the most feared of all warriors in all the Kingdom of Hyrule, Lady Valen's swordsmanship could perhaps be described most correctly with one word: perfection. Her fighting style was unique: unlike any other swordsman or swordswomen, she utilized two swords, each on one hand. She was ambidextrous, meaning she could handle a sword on her left hand as good as her right hand. For some reason, she never carried any shield with her during any battle she ever fought—this particular aspect of her has already become a legend on its own. It didn't matter the slightest, though, since her offense with her unique fighting style was as deadly as her defense was impenetrable—one particularly famous story about her recounted that once she was actually assaulted by a hundred archers from several directions at the same time yet she somehow incredibly managed to deflect all of the arrows with her swords and thus declined even just one to touch her. Most probably the story was just an overblown exaggeration created by overly creative minds, but the fact that such story existed in the first place clearly suggested just how much people were in awe of her extremely formidable skills. She's also the only woman in the entire Kingdom actually seated as the leading persona of a Noble Family—and not _just_ a Noble Family, for that matter.

…All of Hyrule's greats, gathered together in the same room.

…

On the table, Ganondorf could see there were still some empty chairs—five of them, to be exact. If he could hazard a guess, those chairs would most probably be designated to the honored hosts of this show: the Royal Family with perhaps General Impa and Lord Ezlo in tow.

His heart began to thump again. This time it was not because the nervousness caused by the incredible people surrounding him, but more to the thought that from his position, he could actually _see_ the enigmatic Princess Zelda very clearly with his own eyes, no matter which chair amongst those five she would use. And of course, the Princess could see him as clear as day as well. What would he do if their gazes meet with each other? Would he have the courage not to avert his eyes to something else if that happens?

And what about the rings that he bought back at the Hyrule Market? Would he have a chance later to present one of the rings to her? Now that he thought about it, he didn't see any of the sons of the other Families brought anything with them… either their presents as small as his or the only one that actually thought to give something to the Princess was just him. If the latter was true, what would the others say _if _he decided to give one of the rings anyway to her? Heck, what would the Princess say about it? What would happen if she refuses to accept it? Wouldn't that bring great shame not only to him but also to his family?

…So many questions and scenarios flew inside his mind. He wondered whether the sons of the other Families also felt the same way or not. On a glance they didn't _appear_ to be nervous, though of course the expression on the face could betray what was felt inside the heart. He couldn't imagine anyone would be able to feel totally calm inside a situation like this—they're about to meet the Royal Family, after all… a privilege many people would not be able to have even in their entire lifetime.

…

……

The other door suddenly moved, and all eyes quickly snapped towards it.

When it was finally fully opened, a number of people came in.

The first was General Impa—the leader of the Hyrule Knights. She scanned the room quickly before addressing everyone inside with a "Nice to meet you all, ladies and gentlemen." It was not answered by everyone, but she did not seem to care as she walked to an empty chair and sat there.

The second to enter—as expected by some—was Lord Ezlo, the Minister of Knowledge and Education. He gave a friendly smile to everyone inside the room, though he didn't bother to greet them like General Impa. Instead he went straight to the empty chair next to General Impa and sat there.

The third one was King Gustavian himself. Wearing the King's Robe, the elderly man looked graceful in its appearance. However, his face looked heavy and tired, although like General Impa he greeted all that have waited him in the room.

"Good evening, everyone," he said shortly.

Everyone in the room immediately arose from their respective chairs and bowed, with Ganondorf looked especially nervous during this occasion.

King Gustavian nodded. He then walked towards the empty chair next to Lord Ezlo, and sat there. However, Ganondorf—and apparently several other people inside the room as well—noticed something unusual: the way the King walked—it seemed like he was dragging his left leg instead of lifting it up, like he was injured because of something. None spoke about it, however, because the person that came in next through the door immediately belted the attention of all the people inside the room.

* * *

At first, it was only a subtle voice of a graceful step.

Then, the solemn movement of an enchanting golden hair, followed by the quiet flap of the Royal Dress as the wind that came from the opened windows breezed through the room softly.

Many inside the room would consider what happened next to be a part of a dream they wouldn't want to wake up to, because never before in their life they had the chance to witness something so greatly captivating it seemed like an immense loss to close one's eyes even for just a split second.

…Because never in their life they were ever presented by the sight of something so beautiful.

A person—a woman—came in, and she was unlike anything that Ganondorf has ever seen before. She stood still for a while to give a chance for everyone to acknowledge her presence, as well as she to acknowledge their presence. Her golden hair that was brimming under the light of the chandelier above seemed to have a life of its own as it swayed gently back and forth when the wind played with it, teasing anyone to devote their attention to it. Her distinctive blue eyes were captivating in a way that they looked both calm and penetrating—a sparing glance from such eyes would surely be enough to jolt the feeling of anyone unprepared to see anything beyond the ordinary. And her face…… was it even possible for the Goddesses to allow a mere human to possess perfection?

…Because that was exactly the word that immediately popped out inside Ganondorf's mind when he laid his eyes onto her face. None others could compare, be they true creatures of the world or those conjured in dreams—none could compare to her splendor.

And it's not just him too: Ganondorf noticed that the sons of the other Families also appeared to be completely bedazzled by the spectacle of beauty presented before their very eyes. Even the bodyguards behind them—as fearsome as they were—looked pretty bashful with some even produced a streak of red on their faces.

From the graceful Royal Dress to the symbol of the Kingdom clearly visible on the necklace she wore on the neck, it was clear that this woman was none other than Princess Zelda herself.

"Good evening, Gentlemen," she bowed to the audience a little before turning her eyes to Lady Valen, "And to you as well, Lady Valen Silverwolf."

"Good day… Princess Zelda, I assume? Good day to you too," Lady Valen answered—she was the only one: none of the others answered Zelda's greeting, since probably they were all still too busy staring at her.

"You may sit down now, all of you," King Gustavian motioned everyone to sit back, "Zelda, close the door behind you and sit next to me."

Zelda nodded slightly.

She then closed the door behind him and moved to sit right next to the King.

…

……

"I must say," Lord Greycloud suddenly talked as Zelda sat on her designated chair—though he also looked surprised by Zelda's pure beauty, he didn't give out the impression of getting truly awe-struck by it like his son, "…The stories and rumors about you do not give you any sort of justice whatsoever, Princess."

Zelda glanced towards the Greyclouds—it was enough to make Ganondorf's heart jumped sky-high, particularly because for a split second, for some reason, her eyes lingered on him.

"I do not know in what manner others speak of me, My Lord," Zelda smiled, "Regardless, I thank you for your kind words."

"But though my heart leaps with joy that I have been given a chance by the Goddesses to finally meet with the flesh and bone that has become the source of many fond imaginations of Hyrule's men," Lord Serrino suddenly spoke out as well, "Was I correct to surmise that the reason why all of us were invited to this fine occasion tonight was not to just simply drown ourselves in the reflection of the Princess' beauty, isn't it?"

Though it was worded interestingly, it was still a direct, blunt question; one that was responded by King Gustavian with the same direct and bluntness.

"Yes," he nodded his head, "You are correct, Lord Serrino. The matters of which I wish to discuss with all four Heads of Hyrule's Divine Nobles are not, by any means, simple matters. In fact, they are of such great importance that I am not exaggerating when I say that they may affect the future of the Kingdom itself."

……

If it was any other person speaking like that, the people on the room would most probably just dismiss it out of hand, saying that it was nothing more but a statement flown from the mouth of an incoherent fool.

But since it was King Gustavian himself, and he was obviously not the kind of person who would venture into the realm of jokes and unneeded banter during a circumstance like this, his words caused such an impact that for a moment the room was held inside a complete stillness.

"What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?" Lord Marvin asked—he looked positively curious.

Before King Gustavian could say anything, Lady Ariadne suddenly cleared her throat. Though it was an act of questionable politeness—something that surprised even Ganondorf, but nevertheless it was effective in drawing the attention of everyone inside the room towards her.

"…Pardon me for asking, Your Majesty," she said casually, "I cannot help but to wonder, if we are truly about to discuss something of great importance, then where be the Honorable Queen Daphnielle? Shouldn't Her Majesty be here as well?"

Almost all of the invited guests had that slightly surprised look on their faces. The combined event of the arrival of Princess Zelda plus the seemingly outrageous statement by King Gustavian earlier prompted them to forget that there's should be another person inside this room as well: Queen Daphnielle Hyrule.

The look on King Gustavian, Princess Zelda, Lord Ezlo, and General Impa suddenly changed. The King and the Princess, in particular—their expression turned grim in a way that was deeper compared to Lord Ezlo or General Impa: it was the expression of someone trying to put a dam in front of their emotions so that they would not flooding out for anyone to see.

Everyone kept silent as they waited either the King or the Princess to make the next move.

However, the one that spoke first was not them.

"…There was…" General Impa spoke in a heavy tone, "…An incident of which I do not have the liberty to explain the circumstances to any of you here."

"Incident?" Lady Valen repeated.

General Impa nodded.

"Yes…" she said, "As of four days ago, the Honorable Queen Daphnielle, has passed away."

* * *

Again, the room fell into a complete silence.

The atmosphere, surprisingly, got even tighter than before. Everyone except the last four that arrived in the room looked shocked—the Head of the Families even more so. Even the usually indifferent Lord Serrino could not hid the shock that was so visible on his face.

…

……

"The Queen…" Lord Greycloud said in disbelief, "Has passed away?"

This time, it was Lord Ezlo that spoke out.

"Yes, Lord Greycloud. Yes, Gentlemen, and Lady Valen," he said heavily, "Around four days ago, Queen Daphnielle Hyrule departed from the realm of the living to the heavens. She was… no longer with us."

"What happened?" Lord Marvin asked, "What was the cause of Her Majesty's unfortunate departure?"

Lord Ezlo turned his eyes towards King Gustavian.

The King closed his eyes for a moment, before saying,

"I apologize to all of you," he said, "For I cannot yet divulge the true manner of which my wife passed away to any of you. Not yet. And I hope that all of you in this room are willing to fulfill my request when I say that the news of my wife's death _should not_ be allowed to escape outside the walls of the Grand Castle."

Lady Valen leaned back on her chair, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Does that mean that even the people of the Castle are not aware of it?" she said.

"No, they are aware," King Gustavian shook his head, "But all of them have sworn to me not to let the news go beyond the Grand Castle's walls. Although, only a very select few know the true circumstances behind my wife's…" he took a deep breath, "…death. As far as they're concerned, Daphnielle died because of an illness that could not be treated. So far, they have accepted it as the truth."

The faces of the Heads of the Families appeared like they still couldn't believe the news. They seemed extremely curious about the true nature of the Queen's shocking death, but since the King himself has said that he would not yet explain it to them due to reasons unknown, they did not speak about it.

"_So the rumors were true_?" Ganondorf mused inside his head, "_The rumor about the Queen's failing health, and that's why she was never to be seen for the last couple of months_?"

He cast his eyes towards Princess Zelda.

…Now that the shock of her arrival has subsided and he could see her more clearly, he noticed something about her that he failed to realize before.

Her eyes…… beautiful as they were, it seemed that they have spent a good amount of time mourning an insurmountable loss. Traces of endless cries spent through many passing hours were still there… many passing hours of agony lamenting the departure of a loved one to a place where no one amongst the living was allowed to reach.

…Something twitched inside Ganondorf's heart. It was throbbing, painfully.

It was as if he could feel the pain hidden inside the Princess' heart with his own. It was as if he could feel what was really there brewing inside that unparalleled beauty.

…

"I am sorry for your great loss, your Majesty," Lord Serrino spoke again in a glum voice, "And though I do not understand why you must keep the true nature of Her Majesty's death even from us, I understand that it is your decision to make. But that is not why you have invited all of us here tonight, is it? Because if it is, you would not request our silence regarding this issue once we get out of the Grand Castle, correct?"

…_It's true_, Ganondorf mused inside his mind.

The Queen's surprising and yet secretive death, the King's sudden invitation for all of the Four Divine House of Nobles, and the introduction of the enigmatic Princess Zelda…

What could possibly connect them all? And is this have something to do why the Princess was so adamantly guarded from exposure to the world outside of Grand Castle's walls?

…

King Gustavian nodded.

He glanced towards the Princess, and said,

"Zelda," his voice seemed heavy, "…Your turn now."

The Princess nodded quietly, and then she put both her hands on the table as the eyes of all people inside the room were directly gazing at her.

"Honored guests…" she said, "Have you ever heard about the Legend of the Triforce?"

* * *

_Once upon a time_, _when all that existed was Nothingness itself_

_When all was void of everything that was alive_

_Three Goddesses descended from the Golden Land and created the World_

_The Goddess of Power_,_ Din—with the immense strength adorned within her Hands of Fire, cultivated the land and built from it the Red Earth_

_The Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru_—_with Her Care poured the immense knowledge into the Red Earth, giving the World the rules of how it should thread its path_

_The Goddess of Courage, Farore—with Her Rich Heart gave life to those who would uphold The Law of the Land_, _ensuring the World to stay undefiled from its path_, _to safeguard it from the temptations of misdirection_

_When the Goddesses finished their combined tasks of creating the World and returned to The Heavens in which They belong, something of great importance was left behind in Their wake_

_It was The Sacred Triangle of the Golden Land, the Triforce. And thus the place where the Great Artifact resided shall be known in the tongue of the Mortals as Sacred Realm._

_It was the last Great Choice left behind by the Goddesses to those who managed to find life in the World They created. Should the Heart of the Wicked touched the Triforce and wished for a World where everything but Truthfulness to flourish, then such Wickedness shall be created. Should the Heart of the Noble touched the Triforce and wished for a World where everything that was wicked to be banished away in obscurity, then such Nobleness shall be made._

_It was a Choice left behind by the Creators of the World. A Choice entrusted to those living in the land They have created—a Choice that would lead the World either to the path of the Great Order or the path of the Grand Chaos._

_This is a tale of The Golden Triforce in the Sacred Realm_

_Whether you believe it or not, O the Children of Life, let your mind know_

_But be forewarned that only the Chosen Ones amongst you could hope to find their Way to The One Thing that the Goddesses left behind_

_In Their Hands, O the Children of Life, will you entrust Your Fate_

It was the famed Song of the Triforce… the song telling the Legend of the Triforce.

Of course Ganondorf knew about it.

And he was positive that the rest of the people inside the room knew about it as well. Who didn't? It was the famous story ever told in Hyrule, the story of how the world came to be with the graceful hands of the Goddesses. The Triforce—the large golden triangle composed from three smaller golden triangles—was the symbol of the Kingdom itself, and it was supposed to represent the blessings adorned by the Three Goddesses towards the Kingdom of Hyrule. The song was extremely famous and often used in all occasions joyful and grim, from Weddings (may the Goddesses blessed the couple) to Funerals (may the departed be allowed to enter the Sacred Realm safely) making the story represented by the Song extremely well-known by practically everyone in Hyrule—small, young, adult, and old were all familiar with it.

But it was nothing more but just a fairy tale. Things invented by someone with a creative mind so that all the mothers could say 'I will let you touch the Triforce and have anything you want' to their good-behaved kids or 'I will wish scary things to happen to you' to the bad ones.

Nothing more than that.

…

"Legend of the Triforce?" the first one to speak was Lady Valen, "Are the Honored Princess is talking about the tale of when the Goddesses created the world and Hyrule?"

"That is the one, yes," Zelda nodded her head, "What do all of you know about it?"

"That it is just a fairy tale?" one of the sons suddenly spoke out—it was Kain Silverwolf, son of Lady Valen Silverwolf, "That is just a story passed down from fathers and mothers to their sons and daughters as something that they can use to put their own future sons and daughters to bed?"

Princess Zelda glanced towards him and smiled.

"So do you think," she said, "That the story has no shred of truth whatsoever in it?"

"If I may speak," Lord Marvin raised his hand, "As you all are probably already aware, I am accustomed to travelling to lands where humans rarely tread, a place inhabited by wonders of magical creatures. From my experience, I know that they too, share the same story about the creation of the world, meaning that the story of The Goddesses and The Triforce is also widely known amongst their kind. It is interesting, since their kind typically do not spare any room for anything that is beyond their willingness to believe and trust."

"So what?" Lord Greycloud tapped the table with his fingers, "Are you implying that the story is true, after all?"

"The story is true," Princess Zelda said in a conclusive tone, and this effectively snapped everyone's attention towards her—some looked more surprised than the others, "The Legend of the Triforce is a story originally passed down through generations of Royal Families, from the starting line of our previous predecessors until now, and will continue to be passed down to our future descendants as well."

The _presence _that she exuded was extraordinary. The fact she was in the same room as _The King of Hyrule _himself and yet her aura and presence seemingly managed to dwarf even him was very remarkable. It was as if she was undoubtedly a much bigger and much more important authority than the King himself.

"But the story as known by all of you and all the people and creatures of Hyrule," she continued, "Is incomplete. There are things still left untold… things that only the Royal Family and a select few," she nodded towards her left, to where Lord Ezlo and General Impa sat, "…could know."

"Like how to get to the Sacred Realm?" Lord Serrino suddenly spoke.

The Princess, the King, Lord Ezlo, and General Impa all looked a bit surprised.

"Well," Lord Serrino shrugged his shoulders, "If what you just said is true, Princess, that the story is indeed true, and I see no reason why you would lie about something like that," he paused a bit before continuing, "And then you said that the story is incomplete. The only incomplete thing that I can see is the story does not actually tell the method of which anyone can go to the Sacred Realm. It speaks about only the Chosen Ones are able to get there, but it doesn't imply anything that can be seen as a clue as to _how_ to get there itself."

"A very astute observation, Lord Serrino," Lord Ezlo commented, "It befits your reputation well."

"You are correct, Lord Serrino," Princess Zelda added, "The incomplete story does not tell how to get to the Sacred Realm itself, but the same can be said about the completed one. It also, does not tell explicitly how anyone is able to get to the Sacred Realm."

"Explicitly?" Lord Serrino said.

Zelda nodded.

"It only tells that in order to open the path to the Sacred Realm, one must collect what was called the Treasures of the World," she said, "Three magical objects that are said to contain the essence of the Goddesses Themselves."

"Treasures of the World?" Lord Greycloud shifted on his seat—his eyes suddenly gleamed with excitement.

"The Sword of Evil-Bane, the Master Sword," Zelda said—at the corner of her eyes, she noticed Lady Valen twitched a bit, but she didn't say anything about it, "…The Shield that Reflects All, the Mirror Shield; and the last, the Music that Manipulates Time: The Ocarina of Time. The last one, the Ocarina of Time, is already in our possession as it is a sacred treasure of the Royal Family."

"WHAT?" Lord Marvin was so surprised that he actually banged the table with his hands and stood from his seat. It surprised everyone, especially his own family Lady Helena and Colren Rosenchild—they both looked like they got a heart attack.

"Sit down, Lord Marvin," General Impa motioned, "Calm yourself."

Lord Marvin looked towards her, and then everyone in the room, before sitting back again. His face looked a bit flushed.

"…I apologize," he said after a brief silence, "I am… unable to contain my surprise."

"You know about it?" Lord Greycloud eyed him suspiciously.

"I've heard about it in one of my journeys," Lord Marvin answered, "…That in this world exists an object obeyed by Time and Space… an object capable of bending and manipulating all the rules governing Time and Space. I didn't believe it, since an ability of that scale, if it's even possible, requires an incredibly colossal amount of extremely powerful magical energy to accomplish—energy that simply cannot be contained inside _any _object possibly conceived by _any _creatures, human or magical. And even _that_ may not be enough."

He looked towards Princess Zelda.

"And yet you, Princess, said that such an object is actually _real_, and that it is _here_, somewhere inside the Grand Castle?" he seemed unable to contain his excitement though he tried his hardest, "Are you sure about it?"

"Yes," Princess Zelda answered shortly.

"Have you actually _used _it?" Lord Marvin asked hastily.

"In time, Lord Marvin, you will know what you need to know," the Princess replied with a smile. Her tone, however, suggested that she clearly didn't want to discuss what Lord Marvin wanted to discuss any further. Lord Marvin took the clue and he looked extremely disappointed because of it—regardless he didn't press the matter further.

"To continue," Princess Zelda said, "It is said that once the three objects are collected, _something_ will happen that will show the way to reach the fabled Sacred Realm. As to the true nature of what that _something _really is, even I and my Father have not any knowledge of it."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Princess Zelda," once again Lady Valen's son—Kain Silverwolf—suddenly spoke out, making everyone inside the room looking towards him, "But one thing that perplexes me the most is why are you telling me and everyone else here all of this? Why are you telling us all of this story?"

…

General Impa, Lord Ezlo, and even King Gustavian all cast their eyes meaningfully towards Princess Zelda.

The Princess closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again and gazing towards everyone inside the room.

"All of you here inside the room need to be made aware of it," she said quietly, her voice grim, "Because Hyrule is currently treading on a path towards a complete, and total, annihilation…"

**

* * *

****TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *


End file.
